Unintentional
by Lamaisonblack
Summary: Just something I started due to all da SQ dramz. This ship will never sink. 3
1. Chapter 1

"Miss Swan, I am not sure what you are referring to, but that was never my intent, I assure you."

Her words cut like a knife, in one quick second, making me question everything I ever thought I knew about Regina Mills, myself, our relationship, and Storybrooke in general.

"I...what?!" I sputtered, trying to understand what the woman before me was saying.

"Despite what you may have thought, the only reason I continue any semblance of a relationship with you is for my son." she said, looking into my eyes with her usual burning intensity.

"Well, shit, Regina." I sighed, putting my hands in my jacket pocket, directing my gaze to the ground beneath the apple tree where we stood "Alright" I gently kicked one of the apples that had fallen to the ground and began to walk down the path that would take me out of her yard, not bothering to look back at what I'm sure would have been a smug look on the mayor's face.

* * *

"What do you MEAN she said 'no'?!" said Henry, smacking the table in frustration. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at me.

"What else can I say, kid? I tried..she not only said 'no', she essentially said I was crazy for thinking there was anything between us..."

"None of this makes sense" he said, resting his head in his hands as he stared down at his cup of cocoa, looking defeated. Luckily, Granny's was pretty empty that day. I didn't need anyone hearing me talk to Henry about this.

"Well, I mean...she's got a point...what proof did I really think I had? This was all just such a bad idea..." at this, he dropped his hands in disbelief and raised an eyebrow, making him suddenly look much older than he was.

"Are you KIDDING me, Emma?! You said just yesterday you were convinced she felt the same way...we went through all the signs together! I know her, Emma. I KNOW her. There's no WAY my mom doesn't love you back..."

"Woah, kid." I said, shifting uncomfortably "Who said anything about love?" At that, he just stared at me. At this, I felt my face flushing and I looked down at my own cocoa, unable to hold his gaze.

"Like I said...she loves you_ too_." he said, matter-of-factly "I thought for sure if you talked to her about it, it would happen...what did you say?!" I sipped at my cocoa, wondering how I let myself take dating advice from a child.

"I don't know..." I sighed, embarrassment swelling up inside me "just everything we talked about...like the looks and the touching...and the talks..." I could tell Henry was disappointed and I was rambling. I knew I fucked this up, I just knew it.

"Did you talk about the magic? Or better yet...your feelings?" he asked, clearly clinging to the hope that I didn't somehow royally screw this up.

"Look, Henry, this is stupid. She said she wasn't interested...and that I had misinterpreted everything. I'm sorry for dragging you into this at all...I should have just not said anything" I said looking down at my hands guiltily, tears filling my eyes.

"Emma" he said softly. I looked up at him as he continued "don't let anything make you feel like your feelings are stupid. Even if we're wrong, - which we're not - you love her. There's nothing wrong with that" I smiled and sat up straight, ruffling his hair.

"How the hell did you end up so wise, kid?!" I said, finally taking another sip from my cocoa.

"Eh, my moms did alright, I guess..." he said smugly, taking his mug into his hands with a wide grin.

"I can't realistically take much credit...but thanks" I said, placing my empty mug back onto the table.

"We just have to figure out why she's lying..." he said, the look of concentration back upon his face as he stared intently at the table.

"Kid, I don't think she'd lie...she-"

"I've got it!" he interrupted "maybe she's trying to protect you!"

"protect me?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah! Maybe she thinks the town will be upset if they find out you two love each other and hurt you!"

"...would the town really cause a riot over the Queen being with a woman?"

He thought about it for a moment and sighed "I guess not..."

I got up and did up my jacket. "Thanks for talking to me about this, kid...but I don't think it'll be going anywhere..." at my words, Henry's eyes filled with tears and he stormed out of Granny's. With a quick wave to Ruby, I was after him.

"Henry, what the hell?!" I said, once I caught up to him. He turned, tears streaming down his face now.

"It's real. It has to be" he said, looking up to me through puffy tear-covered cheeks.

"What, your mom and I?" he nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve. I sighed and knelt down next to him. "why is this so important to you?"

He looked up at me, maturity and seriousness seeping through his every pore and said "because you're the savior."

"And who says the savior ends up with the Queen?" I asked with a kind smile

"Look, Emma. You can deny it all you want, but you, as the product of true love, are capable of more love than you can imagine. It took me awhile to see it, but I know now that that's why you're here. Not just to break the curse, or save Storybrooke...but to save her." I just looked at him. This clearly meant so much to him.

"I'm sorry, kid...I just don't know...I mean, she's never even said anything..." I started, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm tired of people not believing me, ever." he said, shrugging my hand away. "I'm going home" he said, walking off. I followed, hating that somehow we had reached the angsty teenage phase early.

We walked together in silence until the house was in sight. He stopped walking and turned to me.

"You have to talk to her" he said, his face blank.

"I tried that, Henry. She doesn't want to hear it. Says I'm making it up. I can only push so much..."

"Promise me."

"Promise you what, Henry?! That I'll march in there and announce my undying love to a woman who can barely tolerate being near me?!" I asked, my voice cracking as emotions swelled up inside me. The truth was that he was voicing the tiny voice inside me that didn't want to give up, either. I just didn't want to hear it. It made the rejection hurt much more. To my surprise, he smirked.

"Told you you loved her." I laughed despite myself and playfully nudged his shoulder.

"You are such a pain"

"Yup. So, you gonna talk to her?" He asked again.

"Ugh. fine. Maybe. But not tonight. I'm just dropping you off and going home." I could tell by the look he gave me next that he would let me do no such thing. In seconds, I saw his expression turn to one of despair as he faked his best tears, turned, and ran for the house.

"_Seriously,_ Henry?!" I said, as I started chasing him toward Regina's house.


	2. Chapter 2

I stood for a moment outside her door as it stood ajar. Henry had already run inside, making a scene. Hearing her voice go "Henry? What's wrong?! HENRY?!" was enough to make me run in there, despite knowing the kid was playing both of us. I walked in and heard the commotion was coming from upstairs. I followed.

"Henry? Regina?" I called out as I reached the top of the steps. Finally, I saw her. She was standing outside his room, knocking on the door and calling out for him. She turned when she saw me.

"Just what did you do this time, Miss Swan?" she asked, no ounce of her betraying anything but disdain for my apparent lack of responsibility.

"Nothing, Regina...we were just talking and he got upset." I stumbled, not able to come up with an excuse. She was so beautiful when she got this frustrated. As the thought of kissing her arose in my mind, I fought it, feeling instead a pang of shame in my stomach for wanting to so badly. I looked at her, silently pleading that she would not inquire further. Thankfully, she rolled her eyes and turned back to the door.

"Henry, sweetie. Please open the door and talk to me." she said, addressing the door.

"Maybe I should go..." I said, awkwardly putting my hands in the pockets of my jeans.

"Yes, perhaps you should" she said, barely looking over her shoulder. At that, Henry's voice could be heard through the door.

"If she leaves right now, I am NEVER coming out!" I sighed and rolled my eyes. That kid was going to be the death of me. She turned and looked at me.

"And just WHY does he want you to stay here, Miss Swan?" she said, turning and raising an eyebrow. I shrugged.

"Maybe he enjoys my company...?" I said sheepishly. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, he'd be the only one." she said coldly. The pang of shame made a reappearance and I looked down, feeling my face flush.

"Miss Swan.." she cleared her throat "I didn't mean that...I'm sorry. I just...don't understand what's going on right now."

"It's alright" I nodded, unsure if she meant about Henry or the conversation we had had earlier that day. She stepped back as I approached the door. I wondered, terrified, if her moving was because she was scared of being near me now. "_I wish I had just kept my mouth shut_" I thought and I got to the door and started knocking.

"Henry, look. This isn't helping anything. Please come out." He must have sensed the sadness in my voice, because he opened his door.

"You guys, I'm fine. I'm just going to bed" he said with a smirk. Before he could answer either of us, he pulled us into a group hug. "Stop being so weird" he said before shutting the door again, leaving Regina and I standing dangerously close together in the hallway.

"Well" I said, finally backing away from her "guess I should go, then..."

"Would you...like to stay for a drink or something?" she asked, her eyes lacking her usual intensity and featuring instead a strange sense of...was that vulnerability?

"Yeah...that would be cool.." I said, trying hard to act like that wasn't the best offer I'd heard all day. I kicked myself internally for feeling like such a love-sick schoolgirl as she lead me down the stairs to her kitchen. I looked back to see Henry had cracked open his door and was giving me a thumbs up. I smiled and shook my head in disbelief. He was so much like me sometimes, I could hardly stand it.

Realistically, for Regina and I, it was a big deal to not be yelling at eachother...and here I was, giddily following her and wishing she'd let me touch her butt. I snorted aloud when my thoughts came to that. She turned back.

"Something funny, Miss Swan?" I felt the blush form on my face.

"No, just...a sneeze..." I lied. She took out her bottle of cider, clearly unconvinced. She handed me a glass and motioned that I sit across from her at the table.

"I don't suppose you have any idea of what's gotten into Henry?"

"Uhm...no. We were just talking about...school. School stuff. And he got upset and ran...I think maybe it's homework."

"Homework?"

"Yeah. Homework." She poured the cider into my glass.

"So, you mean to tell me, Miss Swan, that our son got so upset over homework that he locked himself in his room for an hour?" she raised the glass to her lips, an eyebrow raised.

"Math can be such a bitch sometimes." I said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "She just said 'our' son. OUR son." screamed my thoughts as my stomach did somersaults. As I tried to drink my own glass, despite my most suave attempts, I ended up dribbling it all over myself with shaking hands. I sighed, putting my glass on the table and looking up at her. Unsurprisingly, she was smiling. I had made a fool of myself again. Looking down at my shirt, I assessed the damage. Nothing I wouldn't be able to get out later.

"I can get you a different shirt, if you'd like." she offered in her warm voice. I felt embarrassment swell up inside me at how irresistible her voice was to me. I so badly wanted to reach out, take her hand in mine and kiss her. But the voice, _her_ voice, telling me I had misread all the signals, kept playing over in my mind and I just sat back, taking another sip. This time, successfully managing to keep the rest of my clothing free of the liquid. We sat in silence. I looked over at her, noticing she was eyeing my stain. "_Was she really that bothered by a little mess?_" I thought, suddenly feeling even more self-conscious. I shifted uncomfortably and excused myself to go to the bathroom to try to deal with it.

Once I saw my reflection in the mirror, my eyes widened. The stain was not only much larger than originally intended, but it had also made my bra quite visible through the white tank top I was wearing. "_Was she just checking me out?_!" swirled the hormone-filled thoughts in my mind. I quickly shot them down, figuring that likely wasn't the case. Either way, I now felt entirely exposed.

"Maybe I'll take that shirt, after all" I said, when I wandered back to the kitchen. She smiled and nodded, getting up and leading me upstairs. She lead me through a set of doors I saw lead to her bedroom. My heart sped up and I felt myself start to sweat, wishing this woman didn't have this power over me.

She opened a drawer and pulled out a plain t-shirt. I raised my eyebrows, surprised that she even had such a shirt in her wardrobe.

"Just make sure to get it back to me" she said, her eyes burning into my own after slowly trailing up my body, slowly lingering on the stain yet again.

"Thanks" I said awkwardly turning and walking out of her room and into the bathroom again.

When I came back downstairs, I saw she was now lounging on one of her couches in the living room, sipping on more of her cider. I stood in the doorway, feeling super uncomfortable in her shirt. It wasn't that the shirt wasn't nice...it just smelled like her. With her scent surrounding me in such a fashion, I could hardly concentrate on anything but how delicious her lips looked as she smiled at me.

"I should probably go" I said, hands once again in my pockets. Her smile faded as she sat up.

"Oh...very well, then." she got up to walk me out, looking a little disappointed.

"Thanks for the cider...and the shirt" I said, looking at her with a small smile.

"You're welcome, Miss Swan. Thank you for returning my son safely" I nodded and stepped outside, turning back. I stood there for what felt like forever, as we both silently stared at each other.

"Well. Goodnight, then." she said finally, breaking the silence.

"yes. Goodnight." The door closed and I turned to walk back to my car. Two steps down, I stopped and turned around. Storming back to the door, I whipped it open.

"Regina, what the fuck. Are we not going to talk about thi-" suddenly, her lips were on mine, my mind quickly forgetting whatever thoughts it was trying to formulate and express. I kicked the door closed with my foot behind me and she pushed me up against it, deepening the kiss. She finally pulled back, flushed and gasping for breath. I smiled at her, her hands still gripping the shirt I was wearing.

"I knew it" I said, victoriously. She blushed, playfully rolling her eyes as she leaned in to rest her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her, unable to express the happiness that was coursing through my body.

Suddenly, we heard stirring upstairs. She pulled back, alarmed, looking up the staircase. Henry was still awake, and likely listening at his bedroom door cheering us on, not that I would tell Regina that.

"You should go" she said finally, regaining her usual composure. I nodded my head, upset that this moment had to end, despite being all I had hope for, for so long. I opened the door and gave a little wave.

"Bye, Regina." as I turned to leave, she grabbed me again, kissing me hurriedly one last time on the mouth before I closed the door behind me.

I couldn't help but smile the entire walk back to my car, even getting so excited I skipped a little before tripping and realizing I should probably stick to just walking.


	3. Chapter 3

"Regina...you kissed me. If that's not crystal CLEAR, as far as intent is concerned, I don't know WHAT is!" I said, my eyes pleading as she stood on the other side of the door. She hadn't talked to me at all since the night we kissed, which was now a week ago.

"Miss Swan, how you interpreted the events that took place while I was drinking, no less, is nobody's fault but your own" My jaw dropped and my eyes were ablaze with those words.

"So, now, I was what, Regina? Taking advantage of you?!" I asked, appalled.

"No, Miss Swan, nothing of the sort. I'm just suggesting that perhaps you ought to take situations less seriously when there is alcohol involved. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lasagna to prepare for dinner later." with that, the door was closed in my face and I was left standing there, entirely unsure of how to feel.

I decided to go to Granny's, where I knew Ruby would make me feel better.

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" she said as she came over to the table I had seated myself at.

"Can I talk to you, Rubes?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Oh, Emma, absolutely" she said, sitting down across from me "what's up?"

"I think I'm in love"

Her eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, Emma! That's amazing! With who?! Do I know him?" I flinched at this assumption.

"Actually, yes. You do. But it's...not who you think..." her smile faded as she tried to figure it out "Is it that Hook guy?!" she said, her eyes once again lighting up. I shook my head. "Well...is...was it that Neal guy?" I sighed and again shook my head.

"Just tell me who it is, then, Emma...really, it's okay. You can tell me." she said, reaching out and putting her hand on mine.

"it's...it's Regina. I'm in love with Regina." with that, Ruby sat straight back, her hand moving from mine.

"Oh...really? Regina?! Of all people?! Regina?!" it was as if she just wasn't understanding "I mean, don't get me wrong, Em, I'm not against you liking girls. That's like whatever..it's just...her? Really?!"

"Yes, Ruby. Her. Regina Mills. The Queen. Whatever you want to call her." I said, starting to feel very frustrated with the girl I thought would be my friend in all this. I had talked to her so frequently about my problems before, but now, she was acting like just sitting near me made her uncomfortable.

"The Evil Queen, Emma. EVIL." she said, as if that made a difference.

"She's not that person anymore."

"Besides, how can you be in love with her?! You've barely spoken...there's hardly anything there to justify true 'lovey dovey' feelings...you're probably just really needing to get some."

"That's not IT, Ruby. Since when does a person have to justify or explain their love to anyone, hm?!"

"I just don't see it, Em. I wish I did. It's just not making sense to me right now. How can you just suddenly be gay? I swear, you liked dudes like a week ago."

"Maybe I shouldn't have talked to you about this..." I said, starting to get up. "Catch ya later, Ruby." I said, leaving without even looking back. Why was this so hard? Why did nothing make sense? Who the fuck thought it was their place to police my feelings and tell me what was and wasn't okay?

And why was Regina being so confusing? She'd give me some, and take it all away, then acting like I was crazy for getting my signals crossed. What the hell was going on?!

* * *

I sat at the station, trying to get my mind off everything going on around me when someone walked in.

"Can I help you?" I asked

"Ruby said I should come down here...said you wanted to see me?" said Hook, walking closer.

"Jesus Christ, no. Sorry. But no." I said throwing the papers I had been looking at on the floor in frustration.

"Sorry...I'll just go, then..." he said before leaving. I didn't even look up. Why did people think they could just entirely interfere with my love life and throw potential suitors at me?! Why couldn't my best friend, of all people, accept my feelings and not question them?

I groaned and decided to go home for the day.

Getting home, I collapsed on my bed, both emotionally and physically exhausted. I was awaked a couple hours later by a phone call. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I mumbled into the phone.

"Hi, Emma, Sweetie!" said Mary Margaret's voice on the phone.

"What's up?" I asked sitting up, still half asleep.

"Uhm...well...honey, I'm worried. Ruby called me...and she said.."

"Are you _serious_ right now?!" I interrupted.

"I know. I told her she was totally lying. It's not like you to be so careless and...and sick." my heart dropped to my stomach.

"Goodbye, Mary Margaret." I said, hanging up before anymore could be said. I turned and clutched a pillow, feeling sobs rock my body to its core. Not only were Regina and I not going to happen, the people I thought cared about me were turning against me. Never had I ever felt so ashamed. Never had I felt so alone.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, what happened. Why haven't I see you in so long?" asked Henry. He had showed up at my apartment the following morning.

"I don't want to talk about it, Kid. I've involved you enough. You don't need the grief." He looked at me with sad eyes.

"But this doesn't make sense. I saw it happen...you guys kissed. She loves you."

"Henry, stop. I don't want to hear any more of this. Not only do I have your mother telling me I'm crazy, but now MY mother and Ruby have joined in." He raised his eyebrows in shock.

"What?! Snow and Red? Really?"

"Yeah, kid." I said, nodding sadly as he walked in and sat at the foot of my bed. I went and sat next to him.

"But why? Can't they see that it's true love? I thought of all people..."

"Me too, Henry. I wouldn't have said anything to anyone if I had known this would start..."

"What did they do?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"Oh, you mean, other than tell me I'm sick and crazy? Oh, just threw that Hook guy at me, as if all I needed was a man to make this all go away..." His little eyes filled with tears as my voice cracked and a tear rolled down my own cheek. He got up and wrapped his arms around me.

"Emma, don't you believe them. There is nothing wrong with you, or this. It's right, I just know it. Sometimes, it just takes awhile for the things to happen the right way." I squeezed him tightly as I felt myself start crying into his shoulder.

"I just want to know why she's letting me feel like this" I said between sobs. He finally pulled back and looked at me.

"It makes no sense...I've seen her cry about it..." I wiped my tears away and looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"Ugh...she'd be so mad if I told you...but you need to know...the night after you kissed...she went to her room and cried."

"And you could hear her from your room?!" I asked, wondering how loudly this woman must have been sobbing. My heart ached for her and for myself. Everything was just so fucked up.

He nodded and continued "So, I crept over to her room...and hugged her. I told her I loved her no matter what...she didn't even answer...just cried harder...until we both fell asleep. She's not okay, Emma. This is killing her, too."

"You didn't tell her we have these talks, did you?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"No, of course not. She'd just start doing her best to hide her feelings from me, too. I don't know why this is freaking her out so much...she of all people should know that you can't stop true love..." he said, very clearly confused.

I sighed and threw the pillow I had been clutching across the room. "Alright, well. I've had enough of this sulking. I won't let this break me. Want to go get some ice cream?" a grin spread across his face.

"Will you walk me home after?" he said, a twinkle in his eye.

"I don't have much of a choice, now, do I? Plus, I have to return your mother her shirt." I said, finally getting off my bed. It was a beautiful day and I refused to lose anymore time being sad. Plus, regardless of how she acts, Regina cares. Henry knew it, and I knew it...or, at least, I was fairly sure. My heart fluttered sadly at the thought of the woman shedding any tears because of me. At least I now knew that she wasn't as hard as she lead on. But does she really _love_ me? I had my doubts.

* * *

We were sitting on a bench outside, enjoying our ice cream when Henry turned to me.

"Do you think maybe she's trying to protect _me_?" I looked back at him and tilted my head as I thought about that.

"That would make sense, considering the second you made noise that night, she backed away from me so fast, you'd think I was Snow or something..." He smiled at that

"Sorry about that...I had to sneeze and lost my balance...I was trying to be so stealth, too..." I nudged him playfully.

"Thanks for cramping my style"

"Oh, please. From what I heard, she was the one who made the move, anyway."

"How good is your hearing? That's not even fair." I said, pouting.

Just then, Ruby walked by, on her way to Granny's.

"Oh, hey, Em!" she waved.

"Hey, Rubes" I said, faking only the smallest of smiles.

"How have you been?" she inquired. Henry just looked up at her, unable to hide how unimpressed he was with her.

"I've been alright, I guess..."

"So, have you seen that Hook guy, lately?" she smirked, eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Ruby, no. I-"

"Listen, Red." interrupted Henry "You need to just back off. Hook isn't Emma's true love. Anybody who KNOWS her would know that. Stop trying to force something because you don't like the truth that's been in front of you who this whole time."

"Woah, Henry. You don't have to attack like that. Jeez." she said, defensively.

"We weren't attacking..." I started, trying to defend Henry.

"I should go" Ruby said before I could even finish my sentence.

I sighed as she walked away.

"See, kid? Everyone's against me in this. It wouldn't be so bad, were your mother at least on the same page as me..."

We decided to just go home, rather than risk another person coming up and telling me how they think I should proceed in my love life.

When we got there, the door opened to reveal Regina, looking amazing as usual. My heart stopped as I stammered a "Hi, Regina!". "Miss Swan", she nodded, motioning that I come in.

"Henry, dear, can you go up to your room? Miss Swan and I need to talk about something" she said after closing the front door. He was already racing up the stairs by the time she finished her sentence.

"He is behaving so strangely" she said aloud, not really expecting an answer. I just looked at her and tried to hold back from pushing her up against the wall behind her. Finally, she turned to me and took the shirt I had been holding in her hands.

"Would you mind telling me, Miss Swan, why both Ruby and Mary Margaret felt the need to come to my home at separate times today, to tell me to stay away from you?" My heart dropped and I closed my eyes, sighing.

"They did that?" I said, feeling my face flush and my eyes fill with tears. Rather than snap or say something spiteful, she sighed, letting all traces of fight leave her features.

"What did you tell them?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know...I didn't talk to Mary Margaret...I just talked to Ruby. Told her..." I swallowed, feeling the blush rising to my face "that I...that I have feelings...for you" I looked down at my hands, expecting her to lose it on me, too. Instead she took my hands in hers.

"Oh, Emma..." she sighed, causing my heart to hammer in my chest with such speed, it took all I had to actually concentrate on the conversation we were having. I looked up at her, still expecting her to be angry. Instead a look of understanding and even sadness was present in her features.

"We can't" she said finally. Tears rolled down my face as those words sunk in.

"But why?" I asked, my voice far more childish than I had intended.

"Saviors don't end up with Evil Queens." she said, a tear of her own making its way down her cheek. I let go of her hand.

"I'm getting really tired of people telling me who I should end up with. As if I don't have my own thoughts and feelings on the matter."

"You seem to be forgetting that I too have feelings that are quite relevant to the situation" she said, her voice regaining its usual composure and losing all vulnerability it had been displaying.

"And what are those feelings, Madam Mayor? Because I've grown quite tired of feeling like I'm the only person dealing with this right now. Not only are YOU ignoring me, I'm also dealing with the people I thought loved me freaking out...and going behind my back to try to...to fix me. Because they think I'm sick or wrong or broken" I was openly sobbing now as I talked, sinking to my knees, leaning up against the front door "and you...you're doing the same. You're acting like there was never anything there...so, now, I'm just spending all my time wondering if I'm actually crazy...because that seems to make more sense than just everyone else in Storybrooke going fucking nutts at the same time..." I broke down, burying my head in my hands as shame for having broken down in front of her like this made itself known in the pitt of my gutt. "why do I feel so ashamed all the time? I wish it would just stop..."

Before I knew what was happening, her arms were around me, holding me.

"Emma...I'm sorry." she said quietly "So sorry for causing you this pain...I just...this isn't right. You and me. It can't happen." she ran her hands through my hair gently, trying to comfort me. "Nobody would understand...it would make things harder. For both of us. And Henry."

"Really? Cuz I don't think anything could be harder than this..." I said in a quiet voice before my sobbing continued for a spell.

"Can you answer a question, Regina?" I said finally, sitting back and wiping my face. She nodded silently.

"Do you...do you care about me, too? Like _that_, I mean." I asked awkwardly, trying to avoid the L-word. Baby steps. You can't just go asking a woman who's supposed to hate you if she loves you.

She looked at me a moment, as if trying to find the words.

"Yes, Emma. Of course I do." she said in a voice not much louder than a whisper. "But I can't do this. Not now, not ever."

"Regina, what..." I started, trying to reach out my hand but she shrugged me away.

"You have to go, Miss Swan. It would probably be best if you didn't come back for a while." her voice had grown cold. I stood up, rage taking the place of sorrow.

"You have a problem, Regina. I'm done with being toyed with like this. You have lead me on for FAR too long. I'm so done." I turned and left, slamming the door behind me, pretending I didn't notice the look of hurt etched on her beautiful face.

As I walked home, my phone buzzed in my pocket I looked to see a text from Mary Margaret.

_-Hey, Emma. I was talking to Ruby today..._

_-Not now, MM. I'm tired of this shit._

_-Wow, Emma. She was right. You ARE on the attack over this. We're just trying to help, we all just want what's best for you._

At that, I put my phone back in my pocket and just kept walking, lost in thought, and wondering when the hell things would start making sense again


	5. Chapter 5

Regina shut her front door and walked over to the kitchen, holding back the sobs she knew were fighting to come out. Leaning on the counter, she finally let the tears flow. Seeing the look of heartbreak on Emma's face was just too much. She couldn't do this. She just couldn't.

"Mom?" a small voice rang out. Quickly, she tried to wipe away the tears without turning around but knew it was no use.

"Yes, dear?" she answered, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He wasn't mad. It was a just a question.

"Oh, I was just going to make myself a snack, I think..would you like anything?" she said, turning, trying her best to smile and act like everything was fine. He just stared at her blankly.

"I don't mean that. I mean with Emma." the smile faded from her face as she looked at her son.

"What are you talking about, Henry?" she asked, her voice lacking its usual authority. He took a step forward, frustration appearing on his little face.

"You KNOW what I'm talking about. Stop acting like you don't" with those words, tears filled her eyes again as she struggled for the words to say.

"You love her." he said, as if it were the most simple thing in the world to him. "Why are you doing this?"

"I...don't know." she said in a tiny voice so unlike her own that she flinched as it came out.

"Can't you see the pain you're causing her? She feels alone and CRAZY, Mom. You may not know how that feels, but I do...and for you to do that to someone again is just not fair." he said, tears filling his own eyes as he raised his voice at his mother, who looked on the verge of breaking at any moment.

"Henry, you don't understand." she said finally, not even bothering to look up at him.

"No, you're right. I don't. I would never put another person through that kind of pain. Especially someone I loved. Now, here you are, doing it for a second time." the look on his face was unmistakable. He was so disappointed in her, she couldn't handle it. She felt herself crumble as her knees gave out and she was on the ground, sobbing now. She felt Henry's arms holding her. Despite how disappointed he was in her, he still wanted to be there. She knew he was right, that she shouldn't have let Emma leave like that, shouldn't have let her feel so alone. But none of it mattered. It couldn't happen, not ever.

"Mom?" came his voice, once her sobbing had calmed down.

"Yes, Henry?" she said, not even looking up.

"Why are you so convinced this can't happen? Why are you trying to stop true love? You KNOW it can't be stopped...true love ALWAYS wins." he asked, rubbing his mother's back gently.

"Because...I don't deserve it." she said quietly, more to herself than to him.

"What? That's crazy. Why wouldn't you deserve it?" He asked, grabbing her arm and forcing her to look at him.

"I've made it my personal goal to ruin the happiness of others...why should I get to enjoy something I ruined for so many others?" the words felt like daggers coming out of her own mouth. He looked at her, not with the pity she expected, but rather with a look of complete outrage.

"That is the dumbest thing you've ever said."

"Henry!"

"Sorry...but think about it, mom. True Love is the most powerful magic of all. If anything can help you redeem yourself and fix everything, it's true love. Why would you ever deny yourself and the WORLD that?" the way he said it, he sounded so convinced. As if it all just made perfect sense. Regina, however, was _not_ so convinced and quite tired of being a vulnerable mess on the floor. Wiping her eyes, she decided to stand up and pull herself together.

"Henry" she asked, regaining her usual tone "How many times have you discussed these matters with Miss Swan?" he looked up, confused.

"Don't give me that look, Henry. You are far more knowledgeable on the subject than I would have ever allowed."

"Don't get mad, that won't solve anything." he said pointedly.

"Answer the question" she said, her anger rising.

"Look, she didn't bring it up to me...I was the one who noticed. Sorry, but it's kind of obvious with the way you both look at each other" he said, his voice taking on a twinge of angst. He was tired of people thinking he didn't understand the things that were happening around him. She nodded and sighed.

"Sorry, Henry. I just don't know what to do with all of this." she said sadly.

"Go to her. Love her. It's not any more complicated than that. You're the one making it hard." he said before leaving his mother standing alone, wondering how on earth she let him get to be so smart.

* * *

"Look, Emma. I came to apologize" said Ruby, standing at the door to my apartment. I had never seen her look so sad "can I come in? I brought donuts." she said, holding up a brown bag, hopefully. I sighed and opened the door so she could come in.

"Listen, Rubes -"

"No. Sorry, Emma. But I have a lot of things to say and you need to just listen, okay?" she said forcefully, shoving the brown bag into my hands. I smiled and took it, nodding.

"K, go." I said, opening the bag and taking out a bear claw.

"Okay" she said, taking a deep breath and sitting across from me. "I'm sorry. For everything. I was a giant dick. Seriously. You came to me to talk and I made you feel like shit. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't suspect it all along...but I guess when you told me for sure, I freaked. I freaked and I'm sorry. You deserve so much better...and then, for me to go and try to throw Hook at you like all you needed was some random guy to make it all better...and to go talking to your mom about it and to go bother Regina...I'm just...I'm sorry, Emma. If you decide never to trust me with anything ever again, I would understand.

"Rubes" in said, a smile spreading across my face "this means a lot. Thank you. I know it's a little weird for everyone to get used to the idea..."

"But that's the thing" she interrupted "it's not weird at all...and I think that's why I lost it. It just seemed so natural and RIGHT that I freaked right out, if that makes sense. I thought maybe she had used a spell or some kind of manipulation to make this happen...I guess part of me still sees her as the Evil Queen..." I nodded, starting to kind of understand.

"But you never did." she said thoughtfully, looking down at her hands as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

"Never did what?" I asked, unsure of what she was saying.

"Saw her as that...the Evil Queen. You always saw the best in her...even when we were all too stubborn to see it. The same way you see the best in _all_ of us...So, I guess what I'm trying to say is...I get it. I get it and I support you. And I'm sorry."

Before she had another chance to speak, I hugged her. Tears started streaming down my face, this time out of happiness.

"And you know, Em" she said, breaking from the hug and looking into my eyes "she totally loves you, too".

"I dunno, Rubes...she's kind of just been telling me repeatedly that I've imagined any connection I thought we had..." I said, reaching into the brown bag for another donut after wiping away my tears.

"Oh, you should totally believe her. It's not like she's _ever_ let anyone believe the truth was all their imagination before or anything" she said, sarcastically rolling her eyes. I laughed despite myself and playfully smacked her

"yeah, well, it's not exactly comforting to know somebody would rather make me believe I was crazy than admit to loving me back..." I said, my smile fading. She offered me a sad smile in return.

"Maybe she'll come around, Em...I mean, if you had just seen her face when I went to talk to her...she looked so hurt. It was the strangest thing, and it was only for a tiny moment before her usual pride and anger took its place and she told me to get the hell off her property. But I'm telling you...when I started accusing her of somehow forcing you to love her, she looked legitimately pained. I've never seen her look that way before. Normally, she'd probably just say she did it to fuck with me. But this time, it was like the thought of her doing what I was accusing her of doing was too painful for her even to pretend. It was my first time seeing her actually be...human."

I smiled, a tear making its way down my face again. I wasn't even sure if it was out of happiness or sorrow this time. But I hugged Ruby tightly, promising myself that I would step up and have an actual conversation with Regina about all this. I was tired of only hearing she loved me through other people.

Thanking Ruby again for everything, I walked her out. I proceeded to get dressed and go outside, only one destination in mind as I walked, too full of adrenaline to bother driving. My heart fluttered as I saw the house appear before me and I knew what this moment could mean for me, Regina, our family, and potentially all of Storybrooke.


End file.
